Yesterday I was invited to a party at Buffalo Trace as they cut the ribbon on a new cooperage display for their tour. They also took this opportunity to make changes in their tour route and made improvements at Warehouse "D" where they will not start the tour. Let me start by saying that as always, Buffalo Trace has done an excellent job and put on a great party.
The tour will now start with the film in a small room attached to warehouse "D" They have placed some very good displays in the room with some very interesting site maps from the 1940s on the wall. The one thing that looks very out of place is a very nice wooden bookcase in one corner - that is until the guide opens it up and it is the door into the warehouse where they have many on their experimental barrels on display. There are also some coopering tools on display mounted on the wall. A very nice presentation for the start of the tour. The only off note is the smell from the drier house next door covers some of the nice bourbon aromas in the air.
The next new stop will be the cooperage display built by Independent Stave in Warehouse "J". This too is a very well designed display with great photographs and artifacts. My one suggestion to them is that they should add something to point out that in the 19th century that the barrel was the primary package for bourbon and that the consumer would take their flask or jug to the liquor store or bar to be filled from the barrel. Every barrel in the 1870s was single barrel bourbon at barrel proof and unfiltered!
These displays will add interest to the already interesting tour of Buffalo Trace.